Sifting
by Persiantiger
Summary: 25, 26 and X and Y have been wandering the emptiness, exploring the world. However, they may just find what they are looking for...life.


A small dark figure ran among the blasted debris and rusting steel of the former human city. He heard the squealing of rusted joints and the deeper clang of large clawed paws crashing against the pavement. He slid under a fishing line stretched over the road. He gave a short whistle and waited while the creature came around the corner. It was massive, to him at least. It was made of various tripods and other pose able frame work, it looked feline in structure, and it had a small trowel for a head with a staple remover for a mouth. Its mechanical paws thudded loudly, scissors and letter openers for claws. Suddenly the line was pulled taut; it hit the creature in the elbows. The line was attached to a long stick which was thrown across the street into the junk, and then it was thrown again to the figure in the street. He ran forward and around the creatures legs. He pulled the line taut, and the creature's legs were tightly wrapped. It was unable to stand and fell over. Another figure jumped from the junk pile and with a long, wide blade, cut the creature's head off. The figure stood on the frame of the still monster, the number 26 on her back.

"Way to go X." She congratulated the stitch punk in the street as she climbed down. She noticed a rustling in the junk and looked up to see a Stitchpunk with Y's on both shoulders throwing bits and pieces down the pile. "Y, what are you doing up there?" Y had been the other stitchpunk in the junk. He staggered out of the cover holding arm-fulls of various pieces of junk. He dropped them onto the street.

"I found some more stuff to make more traps and weapons from." He sifted through the pile until he found what he was looking for a long, gracefully curving serrated blade. "See, a steak knife, the points keep the blade sharper for longer. If I take this bent nail, and this straight one I can wrap this cord around it and tie it together." He did so as he spoke, the weapon looked impressive, the long graceful and brutal looking blade with a thick handle and guard. "And if I take this tin lid and just dull a few points on it I can wrap the cord around those divots and slip this tube in there, I make a big shield." He held up the large disc proudly.

"Nice work!" X exclaimed giving his twin a high-five.

"Come on we'd better get going, 25 is probably getting impatient." 26 led the way along the street; Y picked up a thin, empty spool and tucked in his compartment before fallowing with X in tow.

They had gone not ten feet before 26 tripped and fell in the junk yelping in pain.

"What?" Both twins said at once, looking up from the new weapons.

She got up and pulled something long, thin and shiny from her arm. "Razor wire, it cut my arm."

"No problem." X snapped his fingers, and Y tossed him a needle from the many stuck in a belt around his waist as he pulled a long length of aluminum razor wire from the junk. X sewed up the slice and looked to see what Y was doing. "Y put that down. What could we use it for?"

"To kill more machines, as long as we're careful we'll be fine." He jumped from the pile and walked over to show his twin. "See, if we take this and make a snare, we can lead machines through, and then synch it closed, and boom…it's done."

"That's great but we should get moving." 26 said already starting down the road again. Y cracked the wire like a whip; seeming satisfied he rolled it up as he walked along and carried it in his hands all the way back to the current base, an old house. 25 was sitting in front of another pile of supplies. 26 noticed a frame with wheels attached, it was a long, black frame and four wheels on either side. It had some plates of scrap tied to the sides, and some contraption added to the rear that was connected to the wheels. There was evidence of a cushion that was removed and replaced with a series of scrap metal plates.

"What is this?" She asked. 25 didn't look up as he responded.

"I've come up with a mode of easier transportation." He picked a small screwdriver from the pile and walked over to the vehicle. X and Y dropped what they were carrying and rushed over to it. They offered help and 25 gave them instructions on what to pick out of the junk and place where on the machine. 26 grudgingly joined in. She didn't like all of the complicated contraptions that 25 came up with, traps were one thing, but he was trying to be too much like the humans. Although, if they never used their heads they would still be getting picked off by lions and tiger and bears. In fact that is the precise reason that 26 wished they never used their brain, the world wouldn't have been destroyed. But here was 25 coming up with a car or something.

When they were done the machine looked formidable to say the least. It looked a lot like a small tank. It was sloped and narrow in the front. It had slits to see outside and at the top had a horizontal cylinder of glass from which to see, a broken bottle. X and Y had rigged the wheels to be moved by cranking through numerous pulleys, the number of pulleys made the work easier so that they could keep moving with minimal effort. Even with the cranks it was still roomy enough to sit comfortably. They had made hooks on the interior to hold the weapons until they were needed. All n all it was a good vehicle and even 26 was proud of it.

X and Y had come up with a solar cell out of the junk. They ran back to the rear of the work shop were the seemingly useless junk was piled; they pulled out an RC car motor and rechargeable cells. They came back and placed them by the tank. "What do you say, 25?"

"Not tonight, let's get to sleep and put that on in the morning." X and Y agreed, but they just couldn't leave it.

X and Y worked through some of the night in shifts, by early morning they were done with the cell and motor connection. They attached the RC wheels to the underside; they moved some of the plates to make enough space so that the wheels were at the same level as those of the trolley. They would also add traction. They rigged the remote to the Power cell. It seemed to be hooked up fine, so they sat in the chairs they had fashioned out of bits of wood and needles and they promptly fell asleep

***

25 and 26 were impressed; they inspected the newly added solar cell and expressed their approval to X and Y. The crew was picking up supplies to put into the tank and head out. They still had to get moving, there was a whole world out there to see. They pushed the tank into the sunlight to charge it. A few hours later they checked it by turning it on. The motor came to life, X and Y showed the control rig they'd also made out of a remote for the RC, it was charged by a series of cables that were also attached to the solar cell. It was properly transmitting to the wheels, it was moving them perfectly. X bolted the door closed and the team got into their seats in the tank. 25 at the helm, 26, X and Y at the chairs in front of the cranks if they were needed.5 hit the throttle and the tank took off, it wasn't exceptionally fast, but it was faster and easier than running. The twins had done exceptional work.

The small tank, looking much like a round spike trundled down the road, stirring up a small cloud of dust. With the sun high in the air they would have power for a good time yet. They could add more things later, but for right now the tank was perfect. X and Y kept talking about the additions they could make, lights, treads and other such things. 26 enjoyed listening to the endless exchange of ideas, it was nice having someone talking, 25 barley ever uttered a word, and it was a little creepy sometimes. He would talk, and could carry on a conversation, but he acted as if every decision affected weather they lived or died. He needed to lighten up. Maybe being in an armored vehicle would help lighten his mood. She put her feet up and watched the scenery roll by outside the slits between sheets.

**A/N**

**I know that razor wire, solar cells, rechargeable batteries, and RC cars wouldn't have been around in the 50s but it's a story. Why would there be the technology to put life into a doll in the 50s right?**


End file.
